We smile when taking a picture, when we see a good friend, or when a cute cat video comes up in our social media feed, but we should smile much more than that. In fact, there is scientific evidence that smiling is good for your physical and mental health and has a big impact on the way people perceive you.

In other words: don’t hide your pearly whites, a simple smile is a powerful thing! But don't take this from anyone. Take this from our dentist office in Cary.

But if you’re not comfortable smiling because of dental issues, you’re not reaping those benefits like you should be. If your smile makes you feel self-conscious, let Beavers Dentistry, your Cary family dentist, help. We can work with you to make sure your smile is one you can be proud of.

When you’re proud of your smile, it’ll show and you’ll start reaping these benefits of smiling!

Top 5 Benefits of Smiling More

1. Smiling elevates your mood & makes you feel good

In addition smiling just feeling good, it actually signals your brain to release stress-reducing neuropeptides and mood-boosting neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins that make you feel better.

2. Smiling reduces stress

Those neuropeptides your brain releases when you smile helps to reduce stress! Smiling during stressful situations can also help your heart rate return to normal faster and lower your blood pressure, further reducing the stress on your body. Taking a minute to smile during a stressful situation sends those signals to your brain, helping you reap the benefits of smiling even when you don’t feel happy.

3. Smiling is contagious

You’ve probably heard this your entire life and the classic song is a reminder that "when you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you." Smiling lightens the mood in a room, leaving others feeling more relaxed. And the part of your brain that controls the facial expression of smiling is an unconscious automatic response area, meaning that smiling can be an entirely unconscious action. (Notice that you never have to teach babies to smile, they just know how!) When people see you smiling, they usually respond with a smile, whether or not it’s a conscious action.

4. Smiling makes you look younger

The muscles we use to smile are also the muscles that lift the face. And why do people get facelifts? To look younger! Try smiling a little more throughout the day and we bet you’ll look and feel younger.

5. Smiling makes you look more confident, relaxed, and sincere

People are drawn to people that smile because they appear more confident, relaxed, and approachable than those with neutral or negative expressions. This can have a huge impact on your personal and professional relationships. Next time you’re in an important meeting or spending time with a loved one, try smiling a little more and see the effects!